1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera having a built-in electronic flash, and particularly relates to the mechanism in which a flash-emitting part of the electronic flash is displaceable between a housing position at which the flash-emitting part is housed inside a camera body at time of no picture-taking and a projecting position at which the flash-emitting part projects from the camera body at time of picture-taking.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional compact camera having a built-in electronic flash is so constructed that a flash-emitting part of the electronic flash is displaceable between a housing position at which the flash-emitting part is housed inside a body of the camera at time of no picture-taking and a projecting position at which the flash-emitting part projects outwardly from the camera body at time of picture-taking, and that the flash-emitting part is moved away from a photographing lens of the camera at the time of picture-taking in order to prevent an occurrence of "red-eye phenomenon".
For example, in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 59-38429 is presented a camera whose viewfinder and photographing lens, both covered with a protector member, are exposed outwardly and whose electric power for a flash-emitting part of the electronic flash is switched on, when the flash-emitting part thereof is displaced to its projecting position; in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 58-159526 is presented a camera whose opening/closing operation of a slide cover for shielding the front surface of the optical system of the camera is performed, linking with a flash-emitting part of the electronic flash being displaced between a housing position at which the flash-emitting part is housed inside the camera body at time of nonuse of the electronic flash and a projecting position at which the flash-emitting part projects upwards from the camera body at time of use of the electronic flash; in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 59-79232 is presented a camera whose shielding operation of a slide cover for shielding the front surface of a photographing lens and a viewfinder is performed, interlocking with a flash-emitting part of the electronic flash displacing from a position at which the flash-emitting part projects from the camera body to a position at which the flash-emitting part is housed inside the camera body; in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 60-51540 is presented a camera having a slide cover, displaceable between a covering position at which the photographing lens is covered with the slide cover and an uncovering position at which the lens is uncovered and exposed outwardly, in which a flash-emitting part of the electronic flash and a viewfinder are mounted; and in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 3-18518 is presented a camera whose opening/closing operation of a lens barrier is performed, linking with a flash-emitting part of the electronic flash displacing between a projecting position at which the flash-emitting part thereof projects from the camera body and a housing position at which the flash-emitting part thereof is housed inside the camera body.
All the cameras disclosed in the above publications are so constructed that the flash-emitting part of the electronic flash is displaced either upwards or sideways with respect to the camera body to move the flash-emitting part thereof away from the photographing lens, for preventing the occurrence of the red-eye phenomenon upon photographing. The conventional mechanism is, however, not enough to prevent the occurrence of the red-eye phenomenon successfully, because it is inevitably difficult to secure a greater displacement of the flash-emitting part relative to the photographing lens in case of the camera designed compact or small-sized; in other words, the electronic flash to move the flash-emitting part away from the photographing lens would be unavoidably complicated if it is intended to realize such a greater displacement thereof with a compact camera.